Objective:
Analyze the impact of intelligent spraying technologies on the floral and nursery crop production

Approach:
Two advanced and affordable spray systems will be developed to employ intelligent technologies to continuously match system operating parameters to crop characteristics, insect/disease pressures and microclimatic conditions during pesticide applications. Economic analyses will be conducted to determine the savings that growers can gain by using the new sprayers and by the potential environmental cost remediation. The economic analysis studies will include (1) establishment of cost categories related to the use of sprayers through guided key informant interviews and expert listening sessions related to the use of existing technologies as previously described; (2) time studies of existing technologies/techniques to determine baseline costs to target both the design of and training in the use of the new equipment; (3) production cost parameters for the new equipment that will be applied to the project’s design phase; (4) application costs of the new technology including time studies and assessment of changes in material usage; (5) potential environmental gains from reduced spray application; and (6) potential gains to social capital (e.g. public relations value) achieved by reduced pesticide usage and increased application control.